Daredevil #3 – Freedom from Burden

Daredevil is both the hunter and the hunted. Matt Murdock has taken a position as a Professor at a law school in this new spin on his life, from Stephanie Phillips and Lee Garbett. As Matt seeks to train future lawyers, Hell’s Kitchen proves to be as dangerous as ever. After encountering Omen, Matt is racked with paranoia over his inability to “see” Omen using his enhanced abilities. With his senses overwhelmed and a gruesome eye-snatching conspiracy unfolding in the background, Matt may be forced to lean on the most unlikely of mentors to find his footing: your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Matt and Shawn!

Need to catch up on Daredevil? Check out the Nerd Initiative reviews for Issue 1 and Issue 2.

Creative Team

Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Lee Garbett
Color Artist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Cover Artist: Lee Garbett

Writing

Matt: This issue is perfect parts humor, Matt’s sassy, sarcastic personality, and terror. I always am a sucker for when we get Matt’s inner dialogue as he is sizing up someone in conversation and how he weaponizes that back towards them. The way Stephanie does that while also pushing the narrative of what’s happening in the city streets was executed extremely well. In terms of Spider-Man and Daredevil, she builds upon their dynamic in a way we don’t usually see. Typically, Peter is the one being taught something, whether by Daredevil or someone else, but in this issue, he’s the one teaching Matt a vital lesson while keeping their friendship dynamic how we usually would see it play out.

Not to be forgotten is that Omen is running wild still, and we even get the name origin! They see themselves as a prophet of sorts, but we still don’t know the endgame. How does Murdock play into it all? Phillips can give us just enough information while keeping us on the hook, asking so many questions.

Shawn: Stephanie Phillips did such an amazing job with this issue. She perfectly captured the humor of Spider-Man while also giving Matt some shine. The Jessica Jones joke had me dying. Despite the humor of the issue, Phillips did an amazing job with Daredevil and Spider-Man. Not only did she capture their dynamic amazingly well, but it also felt like she added something new to it.

It’s really interesting to see Daredevil and Spider-Man in a mentor-type relationship, especially as we get for part of this issue. Matt’s interactions continue to show why he was not only an attorney but a good one. I really love Phillips leaning into the law Professor aspect of this run. It gives readers a chance, outside of just the basic courtroom setting we’ve seen Matthew Murdock in so many times, to see exactly how deep his knowledge goes. Both Matt Murdock and Daredevil continue to grow in Daredevil #3, satisfyingly, with Phillips leaving us with an absolute cliffhanger at the end of this issue.

Art

Matt: In all honesty, if Lee and Frank had just had Spider-Man and Daredevil swinging through the city the entire issue, I would have been perfectly fine. They capture the varying movements and acrobatics so well with such ease across the panels. There truly is a sense of joy as the issue opens to them hanging out and working through this case together. They tease Omen’s facial reveal in this issue, showing details such as scarring and something not quite right as the mask slips in places. This still didn’t prepare me for the monster that was shown on the final page. I love the reveal that it’s as though The Phantom of the Opera mixed with Morbius from the Animated Spider-Man series, and the detail and design is breathtaking!

The standouts in this issue are the final pages where we are shrouded in darkness, and Maher’s letters and Franks’ shading on Matt and Omens’ suits stand out amongst the darkness and at times even blend in as they are working in camouflage. PS. Obligatory Matt shirtless scene that’s been teased.

Shawn: Lee Garbett, Frank Martin, and Ariana Maher continue to stun three issues into this Daredevil run. Starting on the front cover, Garbett’s corner box art continues to set the tone before you crack open the cover. On thing that stood out to me about Garbett’s line work on this issue was just the incredible attention to detail. Garbett put little lines that add depth and character to the scene. Whether it’s a line inside a coffee cup to reinforce the emptiness of the cup or blood vessels in an eye, Garbett spares no attention to detail ensuring every issue gets his best.

Frank Martin and Ariana Maher combine to bring the world to vivid and at times dark life. Martin does an amazing job utilizing shade in this issue. Color Artists who can recognize when darkness serves as an equally important role as splashes of color are some of my favorites to read. Martin perhaps does his best work on this issue, crafting beautiful NYC sunsets and dark, forbidding nights. Maher does a great job with bolding in this issue to draw the reader’s eyes to key story elements. In addition, I really loved the choice with some of Omen’s lettering to set the character apart from others and give an eerie feeling to their words.

Final Thoughts

Matt: 10/10 Billy Clubs. What impresses me most with this run is how in sync everybody is and it shines through more and more each issue. The issue jumps between Matt’s humor and detective skills transitioning into high paced action in a seamless manner. I don’t know how I am going to wait another month for the next issue after that final page!

Shawn: 10/10. This was an absolutely stunning issue of Daredevil. I love seeing Matt in a new environment as a Professor. The writing, art, and lettering feel perfect, with the story jumping quickly and seamlessly from bright and colorful to dark and gloomy.

Overall Grade: 10/10

What did you think of this issue of Daredevil? Let us know in the comments.